Singapore flag

Singapore

Singapore have never qualified for the Men’s World Cup finals.

Singapore reached the AFC third round of qualification for the 2010 Men’s World Cup.

Singapore won a third-round qualifier against Lebanon in March 2008.

Singapore finished their 2010 qualifying third-round group behind Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia.

Contributing firm

Quahe Woo & Palmer LLC

Contacts

Joy Lee

Workplace Q&A

1 What actions may an employer take if:

a) an employee is absent from work without authorisation because they were watching the World Cup?

If the employee is absent from work continuously for more than 2 working days without approval from the employer and has no reasonable excuse for the absence, this constitutes a breach of the terms of employment and the employer has the right to terminate the employment.

b) an employee submits a suspicious medical certificate or other rationale to justify a work absence where the employer suspects the employee is watching or attending the World Cup?

If forgery is suspected, the employer should contact the clinic as stated on the medical certificate to verify the authenticity of the same and to check the registration of the doctor with the Singapore Medical Council. If the medical certificate is forged, this can amount to serious misconduct which would be a valid reason for the employer to dismiss the employee. However, termination due to misconduct is a serious disciplinary action and employers must conduct a formal inquiry before taking any disciplinary action.

c) the employer suspects an employee(s) of consuming alcohol at the workplace or within a proximate time before starting work; can an employer administer breathalysers in the workplace?

There is no general law mandating that employers can conduct breathalyser tests on employees. An employer may administer breathalysers on employees if the employment contract or employee handbook provides that breathalysers may be conducted and employees have been informed and acknowledged the policy. Further, in certain high-risk industries (e.g. construction) testing may be justified if there is a risk to life or public safety or the employee operates heavy machinery.

d) the employer wishes to rearrange the work hours for all employees to accommodate the viewing of particular matches, e.g. their country’s team?

If the employment contract allows for flexibility (e.g. work hours may be varied at the management’s discretion) then the employer can generally rearrange work hours. However, if the employment contract specifies fixed work hours, then the employer should obtain the employee’s consent prior to rearranging work hours.

e) the employer suspects that employees are using company IT systems during work hours to watch matches (including the use of illegal streaming services) and/or to participate in gambling related to the World Cup (including illegal gambling)?

Employers generally have the right to monitor how employees use company-owned laptops and networks as long as employers comply with the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 in Singapore. In general, an employer will need to notify and seek consent from the relevant employee if the employer uses, collects or discloses any personal data about the employee. An employee may be deemed to consent to the collection, use or disclosure of personal data. Further, in Singapore, it is an offence for any person to participate in unlicensed remote gambling activities and if found guilty, an individual is liable on conviction to a fine or imprisonment. Employers may block access to certain websites or services (including streaming or gambling sites). Further, employers may provide under the employment contract that if the employee participates in illegal activities, this would constitute a ground for termination.

f) an employee potentially misconducts themselves outside of working time either at a staff-organised World Cup event or an unorganised event?

For official work events, misconduct by employees may result in termination. However, termination due to misconduct is a serious disciplinary action and employers must first conduct a formal inquiry before taking any disciplinary action. For non-official work events, employee misconduct can still be grounds for disciplinary action if the behaviour negatively impacts the employer’s reputation or the workplace environment.

2 If a country declares a national holiday on the day the country’s team plays (or later for a celebration), are employees who work on those days entitled to overtime pay or time off in lieu etc?

If employees work on a public holiday, the employer should pay the employee an extra day’s salary or grant the employee time off in lieu. Only employees who are (i) workmen earning a salary not exceeding $4500 a month; or (ii) non-workmen earning a salary not exceeding $2600 a month are entitled to overtime pay. Generally, a workman is someone whose work involves mainly manual labour.

3 Is it lawful for a company’s employees to conduct office pools at the workplace?

Would there be any restrictions on the amount of money to enter or the amount of compensation awarded? In Singapore, betting and games of chance for money or money’s worth are regulated although “social gambling” is allowed if inter alia, (i) it is conducted at an individual’s home; (ii) conducted amongst personal acquaintances; (iii) not conducted for private gain of a non-participant or in the course of a business. Whether or not office pools are considered “social gambling” would depend on the facts and the regulations do not specify a monetary cap. Notwithstanding the above , it is common for employers to prohibit gambling at work as a company policy and take disciplinary actions against employees for any breach of this policy.

4 May employers prohibit public displays of rival country team colours in the workplace?

Yes , if such displays become a threat to maintaining harmony, safety or professional standards in the workplace.

5 Could an employer be subject to a discrimination claim if accommodations are given in respect of watching games played by one gender but not the other, or for watching certain nations’ games (e.g. home nation) but not others?

Potentially yes, depending on what accommodations are given and whether it disadvantages employees wit h protected characteristics. In Singapore, the Workplace Fairness Act 2025 protects employees from discrimination based on protected characteristics such as (i) Age, (ii) Nationality, (iii) Sex, marital status, pregnancy status; (iv) race, religion and language ability; (v) disability and mental health conditions.

6 Any other advice you would give to employers in your jurisdiction ahead of the World Cup?

As Singapore has strict gambling regulations, employers should take the conservative approach and prohibit workplace betting pools . Employees should be reminded to only participate with licensed operators (e.g. Singapore Pools). Furthermore, as Singapore is a multi-racial society, employers should remind employees to maintain respect for each other and avoid making offensive comments in respect of other nations and races.